Police Warn West Atlantic Motorists Of Crime

A New Jersey man on his way to visit his aunt in Delray Beach was mugged in his rental car by a gang of hoodlums who fled with his money, watch and luggage, police said Monday.

``I work in the New York area, so I`m used to crime,`` said Anthony Porrotta, 24, of Ridgefield Park. ``But I figured I was in sunny Florida, so I`d just sit back and relax. I let my defenses down.``

Porrotta was one of two motorists mugged at the same Delray Beach intersection over the weekend while stopped at a red light on Atlantic and Fifth avenues.

The latest incidents have prompted a warning by police to use caution when driving along Atlantic Avenue, the city`s main street.

``We suggest that you roll up your windows and lock your doors when driving up and down West Atlantic Avenue at night,`` said Sgt. Ross Licata.

``We`ve had a lot of instances where people have been robbed while stopped at lights.``

At 2:13 a.m. Saturday, Douglas Schaap was driving his girfriend`s 1979 Monte Carlo west on Atlantic when a woman opened the passenger side door and climbed in beside him while he was stopped at the light, Licata said.

Schaap, 24, of Northwest Seventh Street, told police the woman pulled a knife on him and forced him out of the car. He said the woman robbed him of $130 and drove off with his car.

Schaap is 5-foot-7 and weighs 128 pounds, Licata said. He told police the woman who robbed him was more than 6 feet tall.

Porrotta, a customer service representative for People Express, was stopped at the intersection at 4:30 a.m. Sunday when he was surrounded by a group of men.

``I came off the late flight into West Palm Beach and it was kind of warm so I had the windows (open) and the stereo on,`` he said. ``The next thing I saw was this guy reach in and turn off the ignition. I started pounding on his arm, but another guy came in the (passenger) door and went through the glove compartment. Another guy was punching me in the face.``

Porrotta said the men fled after ripping his watch off his arm, and removing two duffel bags filled with clothes from the car.

``I`m more mad at myself than anything for letting it happen because I should have known better,`` he said.

Police have been cracking down on street crime along West Atlantic Avenue in recent months and have arrested hundreds of people on loitering, drug charges, and outstanding warrants, police said.

But Licata said the one-block area on either side of Fifth Avenue has remained a sore spot. He said that locking doors and rollng up windows at night is the best way to discourage street robbers -- other than avoiding the area altogether.